A Chance Meeting
by Nonumaru
Summary: The girl is rich. The boy is poor. Is this fate, or beyond the unimaginable?


I don't own Man in any way, shape or form. Just a fan of the series.

This is my sixth fanfic and my first only one chappie one. I originally wrote this for school with different character names, but I thought it fit really well into the Man scheme of things, so this fic was born. I know it is quite short but enjoy, read and review always! ~Nonumaru

**XXX**

This is how it has always been, cold. All my life I've never known it any other way. Adults look at me with those stern eyes, filled with pent up malice. Their kids are worse, they are frightened of me, beady orbs studying me. I'm not a disease. I don't want to be avoided. All I'm asking for is a little help.

Suddenly, a loud booming voice, maybe three blocks or so away snapped me out of my reverie, "Hey! Hey you! Lady Lenalee, you must come back at once! Your brother Komui is terribly worried."

A teenage girl's voice sounded from just out of my dark alleyway. "Hmph! No chance I'm going back to that control freak. I've had enough!" She stopped just outside of my makeshift home. Looking into its dark cavernous depths, she must have noticed me sitting there, curled up next to the wooden building's side like I normally am. The girl started talking albeit sheepishly, saying, "Sir, is it okay if I hide in here for a bit. I'm in quite a tight spot right now." I nodded, not caring if she could see it or not. Apparently she did because she drew nearer into the shadows.

Continous yells and cries from various middle aged men came to our ears. She tensed up as each one of them passed the alleyway. Once they were gone, she heaved out a big sigh. "Thank you, oh so very much. My name is Lenalee Lee." I nodded once more, and got a better look at her features. She had extremely straight black hair done up in a pigtails that were coming slightly undone, probably from the excessive running, hair was drooping into her face. She wore now torn light blue stockings and a dress with eyes to match the color sceme. Lenalee wore no shoes and at the moment was nursing her sore feet. After she was done she inquired, "And who would you be?"

"My name is Allen Walker," I whispered, hoping she didn't hear. It was very odd she didn't seem at all fazed by may appearance. With my stark white hair, pale skin, mangled arm, and devil's mark across my face.

"Do you live here?" I nodded solemn.

"Well if you don't have anywhere else to go, why don't you come with me? I know we just met but I need a partner on this adventure of mine." She nudged my arm and continued, "You are so lucky that you get to roam free and do as you please. I'm couped up my whole life by my brother who is trying to make me something I'm not. A lady!" She spat the last sentence out bitterly as if she ahd just taken a bite of raw spinach and turnips.

I just hugged my knees looking at the royal blue evening sky. "_God,"_ I thought, "_Are you giving me a chance for a new life?"_

Lenalee stood up then, taking the remaining pins out of her jet black hair. "So Allen… what do you say? Are you coming or not?"

As per usual, I nodded. Then she took off running. To where, only she knew.

We ran into the night, stopping every hour or so for a break, getting us off our feet. At one point, once Lenalee had caught her breath, she asked, "You know this better than I do. How are we going to get food."

I sighed, "I don't mean to be blunt but you ran away on an adventure without knowing how you would be fed?"

"Well, I figured some folk would be nice and give some to a poor girl like me if I asked," she huffed. " Like in the pictures and plays, the characters do stuff like that all the time." I shook my head. She seemed beyond irritated right now at my lack of explaination. "Why not?"

Putting my head my hands, tracing my red scar to think of something to say, I replied, "I wish it were, but things just don't work that way. Would you expect your father to open the door to every stranger he saw. Taking them in his nice warm home, feeding them to their hearts content. Your house would be an orphanage if that were true."

She blinked owlishly at me. Her blue eyes glinting in the faint light. "That is the most I've ever heard you talk since I met you." It seemed that she didn't process anything I had said to her. "_Why are these kind of people so difficult?"_

Swiftly standing up, I grabbed her wrist, giving her no time to think. "W-where are we going?"

"You need to see to understand," was my simple reply.

**XXX**

It took an hour or so of tugging and pulling to get her to follow me willingly. Eventually she let me lead her in to the dark depths of the "other" side of town. Dark it was, and damp. Piles upon piled of tenement buildings were built side to side. The pungent smell of rotting garbage and filth permiated the various nooks and crannies of the place. No smoke came from the apartments, for their were no chimenies. Above our heads, like an eerie spider web, hung clotheslines. Some were so low to the ground you could have touched them with your own two hands. This area was by no means quiet, every few minutes shrieks and screams from impatient mothers and children rang throughout the streets, making even me jump. People milled around, minding their own business despite it being so dark. Taking one quick look at us, then immediately turning their backs. The deeper we went into the abyss of poverty the more Lenalee clung to my arm in fear. The kids' faces were dirty with soot from working in the mines and factories. That wasn't the worst though. The eyes of these fairly young people, weren't young at all, they were eyes of old men and women who had seen to much in their lives. Braved many hardships, gone through many losses, not only of material things, but lives.

She quivered, but somehow managed to stutter out, "W-what is w-wrong with t-these people?"

"There is nothing wrong with them, they just don't want any trouble that's all." I smiled, trying to ease the tension.

"N-no, not that. Why are they so dirty," she paused for a moment, continuing to stare at them, "so sad?"

"These are the people who power your houses, make your clothes, help put food on your table. When you work so many long hours as those people do for so little pay, and have to live in a place like this…" I gestured to the surroundings, "You'd be that way too. That is what I'm trying to get you to understand."

"So your saying I'm lucky to have what I have, and not to take it for granted anymore?" I simply nodded in response. There wasn't anything left to say after all. "You know Allen," she commensed, "I think I will go back. But… on one condition." I just raised an eyebrow. "That you come with me back to my house."

The wind blew throughout the passageways of the place. I was speechless. My mouth kept slightly agape. "Eh?"

"I can't just leave you out here to fend for yourself after I just got to know you and all. Come with me, I'm sure my brother won't mind as long as he doesn't see you as a threat. We can tell him about these people. Maybe we can help!"

Shaking my head I sighed. "That won't happen."

She frowned. "Why not! My brother always listens to me. I might only be an insignifiant little girl, but I know, with help, we can really change things here."

"It is a very slim, yet… fine, I'll come." Without warning she snatched up my hand, no fear in her eyes whatsoever leading us out of the dark depths to the light of the newly dawning day.

**XXX**

1) During the making of this story I was listening to Love me for me by Cher Lloyd and Shiver by The Birthday Massacre.

2) If you guys like this story enough, I might be tempted to make a story out of it eventually. But that will be in the future, maybe in the summer sometime. Until next time, au revoir.


End file.
